Case for displaying goods



M. W. BIQUE. CASE FOR DISPLAYING GOODS.

(No Model.)

Patented Dec. 3. 1889.

N. FETERS, Hwlo-Lithbgn hen Wzuhinghn. n. c

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MERI'LLE W. BIQUE, OF LAKE VIEW, ILLINOIS.

CASE FOR DISPLAYING GOODS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 416,552, dated December3, 1889. Application filed February 9, 1889. Serial No. 299,237. (Nomodel.)

To all whom. it may concern:

Be it known that I, MERILLE W. BIQUE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Lake View, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Cases for DisplayingGoods and for other Purposes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates in its broadest sense to boxes or cases ingeneral which are designed to contain articles either for sale or foruse; and its object is to provide such boxes or cases with such anarrangement of internal mechanism that the opening of the lid willautomatically raise the contained article above the top of the box,after which the lid may be again closed, while the article is permittedto remain upon the outside in an advantageous position for use or fordisplay.

Inthe accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification,Figures 1, 2, and 3 show an embodiment of the invention in a case fordisplaying watches, the casing being shown in section on the line 00 m,Fig. 4, and the displaying mechanism in side elevation and in variouspositions, as hereinafter more particularly set forth. Fig. 4 is a planview of the same as seen in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a section of the casing onthe line 5 5, Fig. 3, and an elevation of the parts beyond the plane ofthe section. Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5, illustrating amodification. Fig. 7 is a sectional elevation showing a modification.

The invention consists in certain features of novelty,which areparticularly pointed out in the claims hereinafter, a case embodyingsaid invention being first fully described with reference to thedrawings, in which like parts in all the figures are designated by likeletters of reference.

In practice the box or casing is constructed as follows: The two sides 8and the two ends 6 are secured together in the form of a rectangle orwhatever form it is desired that the box shall have, and two pieces,each equal to the external area of the rectangle thus formed, aresecured to the opposite sides thereof, constituting the top t and thebottom I) of the box, respectively. This gives a hollow shell, which inthe present instance is a parallelopiped, but which may be varied inshape at will without departing from my invention. This hollow shell isthen cut with a saw on the line or lines which it is desired shallseparate the lid from the box proper.

In the present instance the lid is separated from the box by twointersecting cuts terminating at the point of intersection. One of thesecuts enters one end of the box atm and extends parallel with the top 15to a pointy near the other end thereof. The other out enters the top ofthe box, at z, a short distance from the end remote from w, and extendsto the point y, forming an obtuse angle with the cut a: y. One end ofthe upper portion thus removed is then hinged at h to the lower portionB or box proper and constitutes the lid Z, which is of course shorterthan the box by as much as the distance between cut y z and the adjacentend 6. The portions of the sides 8, end e, and top 15 thus left intactwith the box proper B, in conjunction with a partition 19, form anapartment a for containing and concealing most of the mechanism, saidpartition being appropriately slotted, aswill appear hereinafter.

The essential features of the invention are a box having a lid and ahinged support for the article to be displayed, the support being ofsuch construction and its hinge so located with respect to the lid thatit (the support) is movable beyond the path of the lid, and the lidbeing capable of movement independent of the support. This enables thelid to be closed, leaving the support on the outside of the box inposition to display the article to advantage.

The minor details must be varied more or less, according to thedimensions of the box and the nature of the article to be displayed, andalso according to whether the article is to be displayed for use orsimply for showing to its purchasers. For a watch-case for the latterpurpose the support is made as follows: A piece of wire is bent ortwisted at an intermediate point, so as to form a hook or horn q andencirclethe circular watch-socket On the under side of the socket f,opposite the horn q, the two strands of wire are bent or twisted at d,so as to extend therefrom in exactly opposite directions. At 9 they arebent at right angles, whence they extend parallel to each other tot'.Here they are again bent at right angles and extend in oppositedirections parallel to the portions cl 9, their axes being coincident.The portions j, adjoining the bends '5, form the journals of the supportS and have suitable bearings in the box or an attachment thereof, ashereinafter described.

All of the bends so far described are made in parallel planes, andconsequently all of the various parts of the support so far describedlie in a single plane. One strand of the wire terminates with thejournal 7', while the other is again bent at right angles at 70. Thisbend is in a plane at an angle to the other bends, (about ninetydegrees) and consequently the portion of the wire which extends beyondit and forms the crank-arm c of the support occupies a plane at an angleto the plane of the stem of said support, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3.The wire is again bent so as to form a hook 0 at the extremity of thecrank-arm c, with which it terminates. This completes the description ofthe form of support shown in Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive. \Vhile this formis preferred for watches and many other articles, yet I desire to haveit understood that my invention is not, in its broadest sense, limitedthereto. The support is susceptible of many modifications, one of whichis illustrated in Fig. 6. Here the bends g are omitted and the twostrands of wire are carried from (Z to 1? in a single-twisted stem. Thepartition 1) is provided with as many slots at as may be necessary forthe accommodation of the one or more branches of the stem of thesupport. To support the journals 7', a piece of sheet metal m is bentinto the form shown in Fig. 5 and secured within the apartment a, itsparallel sides m being perforated to admit the journals.

R is the rod employed in the present instance for forming the connectionbetween the crank-arm c of the support and the lid l of the box. One ofits extremities is engaged by the hinged lid at a, and its other isprovided with a hook t, which crosses the path of and is adapted toengage the crank-arm c. This rod may be perfectly straight, but ispreferably of the shape shown in the drawings-that is, it has a bend 7'near the end which is engaged by the lid, and a bend 7" near the endwhich engages the crank-arm 0. 'These bends have one object in commonnamely, to keep the main or central portion of the rod below the top ofthe box proper. These boxes are usually of a very ornamental nature,being covered with plush and lined with satin, the latter being placedover the rod B, so as to conceal it, and pro-- vided with a suitableopening for the passage of that portion of the rod between the hinge uand bend r. The bend 7" has also another objectnamely, to insure thatthe hook 7; shall engage the crank c at the commencement of theoperation. Then once engaged, the hooks 0 and 4) will, by engaging eachother insure that the rod R and crankarm a shall not become disengageduntil they have completed the operation, and this whether the rod R beperfectly straight or have one or both of the bends 'r 'r. Said hooksserve also as a stop to limit the movement of the parts. WVhen nearingthe latter part of the operation, the portion of the rod between thebend r and its pivot it comes in contact with the lower edge of the lidZ at O, the latter forming a stop and preventing any further relativemovement between said lid and rod. As a consequence, during theremainder of the movement of said lid said rod will move as an arm fixedto it, its end '0 describing a circle about the hinge h of the lid, assuggested by the dotted line in Fig. 2. This will insure that the hook oremain in engagement with the crank-arm c and render unnecessary thehook 0 on the end of said arm. If the bend r be omitted, the same resultmay be accomplished by providing the inside of the lid with a stop forengaging the rod at the proper time and arresting the relative movementof the rod and lid in the same manner as does the stop 0.

A staple w, driven into the side of the box and straddling the rod R,serves to confine the latter against lateral displacement and also as astop to limit its upward movement.

It will be observed that the connection between the lid and the supportS is a loose one, and also that there is more or less lost motion. Thislost motion is due to the fact that when the parts are in the positionsshown in Fig. 1 the hook o, by reason of the length of the rod R, issome distance beyond the arm 0, the object being to permit the lid to beraised more or less before it begins to move the support. Otherwise thesupport or the article on it is apt to come in contact with the underside of the lid and prevent proper operation. The objects in making theconnection loose are to allow the lid of the box to be closed withoutaflfecting the support S, and when said lid is closed to allow saidsupport a certain limited independent movement. When the lid is open,the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 2. The support S may be leftin this position and the lid closed, after which said support may bemoved to the inclined position shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the lid itselfconstituting a rest for sustaining it at the desired angle ofinclination. In order to permit this movement of the support,clearancenotches t are out in the top of the box, one being provided foreach branch of the stem of the support. The drawings show a portion ofeach of these notches formed in that portion of the topt which forms thelid Z and the remainder in that portion of the top which forms the topof the apartment a. This clearance may be thus divided between the twoportions of the top t, or it may be formed IIO wholly in either one ofsaid portions. However it may be formed in this respect, it shouldextend far enough one way to permit the hinged support S to be moved atleast beyond the path of the lid, and preferably so far, by the openingof the lid, that the center of gravity of said support and the articlewhich it holds will pass beyond the vertical plane of the journals j, sothat said support will be held in the position shown in Fig. 2 bygravity, and need not, therefore, be held by the hand until the lid isclosed. It should extend far enough the other way to permit the supportwhen the lid is closed to descend toward the top of the box as far ascircumstances may render desirable, said support eventually coming torest against said lid. For displaying goods for sale it should inclineabout as shown in the drawings; but for other purposes it may benecessary for the clearance to be sufficient to permit the article onthe support to have a firm bearing upon the top of the boxfor example,if the case be intended for holding a box of blacking or similar articlewhich it is desired to use.

The invention may be further modified by substituting a cord for the rodR, and still further by substituting a small wheel or pulley for thecrank-arm c. It is also applicable to boxes having sliding covers, inwhich case provision must be made for permitting a greater amount oflost motion between the lid and support than when said lid is hinged.This may be accomplished by a loose or sliding connection between therod and lid.

Having thus described my invention, the following is what I claim as newtherein and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. The combination of a box having a lid, a hinged article-supportmovable beyond the path of the lid, so that said lid may be closed,leaving the support outside, and a rest for sustaining said support,substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of a box having a lid, a hinged support for anarticle movable beyond the path of the lid, so that the latter may beclosed, leaving the support outside, and a connection between the lidand support, whereby the movement of the lid in opening is transmittedto the support, causing it to be automatically moved beyond the path ofsaid lid, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of a box having a lid, a hinged support for anarticle movable beyond the path of the lid, so that the latter may beclosed, leaving the support outside, and a connection between the lidand support, whereby the movement of the lid in opening is transmittedto the support, causing the article to be automatically lifted above thetop of the box by the opening of the lid, said box being provided withsufficient clearance for the stem of the support to permit the latter tobe moved back a limited distance after the lid is closed, substantiallyas set forth.

4. The combination of a box having a lid, a hinged support having acrank-arm, and a connection between said lid and crank-arm, whereby themovement of the lid in opening is transmitted to the crank-arm andthence to the support, lifting thelatter, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination of a box having a lid, a hinged support having acrank-arm and a loose connection between said crank-arm and lid, wherebythe movement of thelid in opening is transmitted to the crank-arm andthence to the support, moving it beyond the path of the lid, and saidlid permitted to be closed, leaving the support outside, substantiallyas set forth.

6. The combination of a box having a lid, a hinged support having acrank-arm, and a rod engaged by the lid and engaging the crank-arm,whereby the movement of the lid in opening is transmitted to thecrank-arm and thence to the support, liftingthe latter, substantially asset forth.

7. The combination of a box having a lid, a hinged support having acrank-arm, a hook on said arm, and a rod engaged by the lid and having ahook adapted to engage the hook of the crank-arm, substantially as setforth.

8. The combination of a box having a lid, a hinged support having acrank-arm, and the rod R, engaged by the lid and adapted to engage saidcrank-arm, said rod having the bend r, for insuring engagement with thecrank-arm, substantially as set forth.

9. The combination of the box having a lid, a hinged support having acrank-arm, and the rod R, adapted to engage said crank-arm, said rodbeing bent at r, so as to extend above the top of the box proper and beengaged by the lid, substantially as set forth.

10. The combination of a box having a lid, a hinged support having acrank-arm, and the rod R, engaged by the lid and adapted 'to engage thecrank-arm, said rod being. bent at 7' and r, so that its ends may extendabove while its central portion remains below the top of the box proper,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

11. The combination of a box having a hinged lid, a hinged supporthaving a crankarm, the rod R, hinged at one end to the lid and at theother adapt-ed to engage said crankarm, and a stop upon which said rodbears and whereby it is caused to move as a fixed arm of the lid duringthe latter part of the movement of the latter, substantially as setforth. 7

12. The combination of the'box having the hinged lid, a hinged supporthavinga crankarm, the rod R, hinged at one end to said lid and at theother adapted to engage said crankarm, a stop upon which said rod bearsand whereby it is caused to move asa fixed arm of the lid during thelatter part of the movement of the latter, and a second stop w, forlimiting the upward movement of said rod, substantially as set forth.

13. The combination of a box having the hinged lid, the hinged supporthaving the crank-arm, the hook at the extremity of said arm, and the rodengaged at one end by said lid and at the other having a hook adapted toengage the hook of the crank-arm, substantially as set forth.

ll. The combination of the box having the lid, the hinged support, and aconnection between the support movable beyond the path of the lid, sothat the latter may be closed, leaving the support outside said lid,said lid being provided with clearance for permitting the movement ofthe support While said lid is closed, substantially as set forth.

15. Thecon1bination,witl1theboxhavingthe I 5 apartment a and the lidterminating at said apartment, of the support hinged Within saidapartment and a connection between said support and lid, the partition17 and the top of the box being provided with the necessary 20 clearancefor permitting the movement of the support, substantially as set forth.

MERILLE \V. BIQUE.

\Vitnesses:

L. M. HOPKINS, Geo. E. BnoKWrrI-I.

